FIFA is preparing its first major football game release after ending a nearly 30-year partnership with Electronic Arts. The new game FIFA World Cup: Kick-Off Edition launches on June 11 and will be available exclusively on Netflix ahead of the World Cup.
Netflix subscribers can play at no extra cost, and smartphones will serve as controllers. The game supports up to four players, making it closer to a fast, cooperative arcade version of football than the complex sports simulator of EA's former FIFA series.
FIFA World Cup: Kick-Off Edition features 48 men's national teams from the current World Cup, 16 real stadiums, and 1,248 footballers. Netflix emphasizes accessibility, emotion, and the ability to quickly jump into a match even for those who rarely play video games or aren't deeply familiar with football.
For FIFA, this release is important not just as a standalone game but as a symbol of a new chapter. In 2023, the organization ended its collaboration with EA, making FIFA 23 the last Electronic Arts game to carry the international federation's official brand. The series was then renamed EA Sports FC, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino has repeatedly mentioned plans to create a competing football project with a new partner.
The choice of Netflix shows that FIFA is not yet trying to directly replicate the scale of its former annual simulators. Instead, the organization is betting on a mass-market platform, a low barrier to entry, and a game format that can be built on through updates. If the experiment succeeds, FIFA World Cup: Kick-Off Edition could be the first step toward a larger football ecosystem without EA.
Age rating: 12+.